Sci-fi fashion for chic geeks: How technology is changing clothes

As London Fashion Week ends, Metro’s
James Day looks at how the industry is embracing technology.

You are what you wear: Designers of the tshirtOS prototype hope people will want to display their social network activity, music and photos on their clothes (Picture: File)

The last time the tech world ushered in a must-have fashion item, it was the Global Hypercolour T-shirt. So how about internet-connected clothes that display your digital world for all to see? These are garments that show everything from social media status updates to YouTube videos or play music and take photos with the built-in speakers and camera. They’re even machine washable.

The tshirtOS project is the latest in a long line of hi-tech fashion from London label CuteCircuit, which incorporates flexible LED screens into its collections.

Described by the Shoreditch company as the ‘world’s most advanced piece of digital clothing’, the Wi-Fi-enabled cotton T-shirt includes a 1,024-pixel screen that is powered by a USB-charged battery pack. Although still a prototype – and a costly one at £20,000 – the designers want to bring it to the high street – if enough interest is shown to drive down the cost of manufacturing.

Designer Francesca Rosella tells Life: ‘Every aspect of our lives is digital nowadays but fashion is still in the Middle Ages. We are bringing the digital age to fashion, creating connected garments that work like magic.’

As Rosella suggests, the fashion industry has had a tricky time embracing technology but 3D and augmented reality (AR) are now transforming everything from how clothes are designed to how we wear them.

Shining star: Katy Perry in an LED dress designed by CuteCircuit (Picture: File)

Dassault Systèmes’ FashionLab comprises thousands of computer tools embraced by stylists to create inch-perfect designs in 3D – saving them valuable time and cost in making samples.

Designer Julien Fournié says: ‘Fashion designers are often scared of technology, especially in haute couture – they think it will hinder the creative process and make the clothes less special and unique.

‘But the engineering team at Dassault Systèmes really listened to me and adapted the tools to my unique way of working.

‘Before, I had to sketch every drawing by hand many times over but that has all changed. It allows me to be more precise and takes care of many of the time-consuming tasks, which actually enhances my creativity by allowing me to focus on design.’

Meanwhile, the French company’s applications are also powering AR changing rooms so shoppers can try on clothes virtually in their living room or go interactive in store.

A camera photographs the shopper, displays designs on their digitised body and as they move, the 3D clothes move with them. You can then upload images to social-networking sites to get your friends’ opinions.

The developers say this is especially useful if you want to try on lots of items in a short space of time or the store doesn’t have your size or colour in stock.

And how about creating an avatar that automatically selects clothes it thinks will suit you? These are all advances being driven by the falling cost of computer hardware.

FashionLab director Jerôme Bergeret adds: ‘Our mission is to develop 3D virtual modelling and collaborative tools that meet the needs of this industry and enable it to master the end-to-end creative process, from styling to final buyer.’

All of this points to an internet fashion sales boom – online retailer ASOS recently announcing pre-tax profits of £41million, up 43 per cent on last year.

Tailor savilerowlondon.co.uk is also profiting from technology. Its export sales are up by a third thanks to software that lets shoppers design a shirt from five million options – and that’s before they’re even sized up.

Tailor Dale Rhodes says: ‘It’s a new way to allow people to design and order shirts direct from our Yorkshire factory. They can preview the combinations and then have the option of having the shirt made in regular and tailored sizes. With five million combinations, this software has reversed the trend in our business that had been suffering with the current economic climate.’